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Knoxville man who lost his 3-year-old son in drunk driving crash warns others risks

David Elkins' son died in 1996, and since then, he's aimed to help others dealing with addiction--including alcohol.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Knoxville man is warning people about the dangers of drinking and driving.

David Elkins lost his 3-year-old son in a crash involving a drunk driver in 1996.

Since then, he's dedicated his life to helping those struggling with addiction.

"We deal with a lot of men in recovery, trying to find freedom in their life," Elkins said.

RELATED: Man killed passenger in 2016 drunk driving crash then tried to blame her for the wreck, DA's Office says

He's aiming to give freedom to the men at Safe Harbor Jefferson County.

The non-profit provides a 6-month program for 30 men who are recovering from addiction.

"It's amazing to see the transformation," Elkins said.

But he may not have been able to witness to the changes these men are making without a dramatic change to his own life.

"I remember--March the 6th, 1996," Elkins said.

RELATED: Too drunk to drive, man falls off pickup truck while being taken home

Elkins lost his son that day.

A drunk driver slammed into a truck 3-year-old Derek and his mother were in.

"It devastated me," Elkins said. "Him and his mother both were killed, and also the driver, the drunk driver, was also killed." 

Elkins fought with feelings of guilt.

"He begged me to come and get him and I couldn't," Elkins said. "I didn't have a babysitter and I was working. And I said, I'll get you this weekend, I'll get you this weekend, I remember the last words I told my son, I said, I love you Derek and he said I love you too, daddy."

It was one of the thousands of accidents in Tennessee caused by drunk drivers since then.

RELATED: One killed, one injured in suspected drunk driving accident

According to the Tennessee Department of Safety, there have been 5,442 alcohol-impaired crashes so far this year in the state.

And, there have been 1,310 serious injury car crashes this year involving a driver who was drinking or using drugs.

Someone died in 244 of those crashes.

With holiday parties going on now, Elkins said to have a plan to get home if you're going to drink.

"Please get don't get behind the wheel of a car if you're drinking," Elkins said. "It might be your neighbor's child that you kill. It could be another son of a man who desperately wanted to raise his child."

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